


It Was Never You

by RegicidalRavens



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Car Accidents, Coffee Shops, F/F, F/M, Gen, Hospitalization, Self-Esteem Issues, V | Kim Jihyun Is Not Blind, coffee shop au except v doesn't even drink the coffee, he drinks the tea instead, he got the surgery, soft, well he was, whoops, you aren't mc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-09
Updated: 2019-05-09
Packaged: 2020-02-29 02:25:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18769282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RegicidalRavens/pseuds/RegicidalRavens
Summary: He looked away and fidgeted with the keys of the laptop. You saw red creep onto his ears and paint his expression with a pale carmine.“You always flatter me too much, (Y/n). These are pretty average grade photos you’re talking about.”..........“Yoosung… if being able to see again meant having to witness that, then I wish I had never gotten surgery.”





	It Was Never You

**Author's Note:**

> whewwwwwwww i'm a sucker for coffee shop AUs except I'm more of a tea person (don't get me wrong I still like coffee) so I guess I kinda imprinted that onto V whoops.  
> please enjoy and leave feedback if you have any! always looking for ways to write better :)

 

“It’s already on the counter!”

The comforting scent of coffee greeted him. The sound of your voice accompanying it only made it better. As he stepped up to the counter, he picked up the paper cup and sipped it.

“You never fail me, (Y/n).”

“Chai latte with two espressos and honey instead of sugar,” you recited from memory. “Have a little more faith in me, Jihyun. It’s already been a year since you started coming by here for your afternoon regulars.”

He chuckled, thanking you again before stepping away towards the corner window seat. You asked him about that spot once, since he seemed to favor it so much. He said that the sunlight shone in that spot the brightest on late afternoons, and it had the clearest view of both the whole cafe and busy intersection so he could take in the sight fully.

“That reminds me, how have your eyes been? It’s still only been a few months since your surgery, so it must still be a bit rough,” you said, looking down a bit. You knew it was a sensitive topic, and although your admiration and familiarity with him was certain, there was always a fear of crossing a line. “And yet you’re still adamant on doing your photography work,” you noted, observing the SD card he connected to his laptop.

“Of course, it is what I do for a living after all,” he smiled, the soft afternoon sunlight illuminating his features. “And thank you for always asking. I’m still not quite used to it yet, but my friend had acquainted me with some quite renown doctors and surgeons, so I fully believe that I won’t need to worry about anything going wrong, especially since I’ve made it this far in recovery.”

“I suppose you’re right,” you reflected his smile. You returned to wiping down tables and cleaning up all the presses and machines behind the counter.

It was a slow day. Business in the cafe was usually slow to begin with, but the minutes seemed to stretch even longer than usual.

“(Y/n), come over here,” he called for you. You perked up and skipped around the counter to the table where he was seated. Whenever he called you over in the middle of his work, it usually meant that he had photos to share with you. He pulled up the folder of images as you took the seat next to his and leaned in closer. “These are wedding photos from a few days ago. The reception was outside in the gardens, and it was pure luck that the weather turned out to be perfect for that day.”

He scrolled through the photos one by one for you to see.

“Jihyun, these are absolutely stunning!”

“The bride was certainly very beautiful. The flowers only served to accentuate that and made the entire event more joyful,” he commented, stopping on one particular shot where she was walking through a rose arch with the white veil draped over her face.

“Oh, yeah sure. That stuff too. I was talking about your photos though,” you smiled cheekily when he coughed in embarrassment. “Sure, she’s pretty and the flowers are great, but I bet the photos wouldn’t be nearly as breathtaking if someone else had taken it instead.”

He looked away and fidgeted with the keys of the laptop. You saw red creep onto his ears and paint his expression with a pale carmine.

“You always flatter me too much, (Y/n). These are pretty average grade photos you’re talking about.”

You shrugged before getting up to continue your work behind the counter. The bells jingled, letting you know that someone had entered seeking either coffee or snacks. “Whatever you say, Jihyun. Sure doesn’t convince me. Keep doing good with your ‘average grade’ photos.”

He continued his work, meticulously editing his photos one at a time. You let him be, and chose to wander behind the counter and count the stock of coffee beans in the back room for the  _ n _ th time. Seeing that the sun was starting to dip below the horizon, you glanced at the time and called his name to let him know that you would be closing up soon. He hummed in response and began to save his files.

He thanked you for his drink yet again as the bells chimed and he walked out. It hadn’t been long until you noticed that there was an extra umbrella left in the stand. It was the one you saw him walk in with just a few hours ago when it had been drizzling outside. Only a few seconds had passed, and you were sure that if you ran after him you would be able to pass it off to him in no time. With that in mind, you grabbed the still dripping wet umbrella before flinging open the door to rush out. You were right. He had only just crossed the street.

“Jihyun!”

You took off down the sidewalk and ran towards him. He heard your familiar voice calling him along with the thuds of your shoes hitting the pavement.

“(Y/n)?” he responded as he turned to look at you. In that moment, the sound of a car honking blared in his ears, and a bright light blinded him. And yet, he still managed to see everything transpire in painfully slow motion. “(Y/n)!”

The car came to an abrupt stop and rubber tires left skid marks across the road, but it had been too late by then. A sound escaped your throat as your body was flung into the air and hit the pavement. For added dramatic effect, physics even lent a hand to roll your form a few more times before stilling completely. Crimson leaked from under your head, but you still weren’t moving. The driver stepped out of the car to see what had happened, and upon seeing you, their legs gave out completely. 

Everything had happened in only a few seconds. Jihyun came running to your side and knelt down. With limited medical expertise, he held a finger to your neck and pressed his ear against your chest. You were still alive and breathing, but he could feel the results of your immense blood loss soak through the fabric of his slacks. He pulled out his phone to discover that it was dead. For the first time in his life, he cursed that he was too old fashioned to carry around a charger like how Yoosung always nagged him to. He looked around desperately and saw that the driver was still trembling on the ground.

“You, driver,” he spoke firmly. “If you haven’t already, call an ambulance and get it on the way.”

The driver, realizing that they were the one being addressed, nodded madly in response and searched their pockets to dial up medical services.

A small crowd had begun to gather. Passerbys murmured and drew more people in. Jihyun was used to being the center of attention. In fact, he had years of experience of it whenever he had to speak for RFA events. And yet, all leadership skills he had practiced and garnered over years were seemingly lost as he continued to feel you grow cold.

_________

He felt that the ambulance had taken far too long to arrive on the scene. As he sat out in the hallway, he recalled everything from the past day. When the ambulance finally arrived at the hospital and he watched as nurses wheeled you away on a bloody gurney, it dawned on him that he had never felt more useless in his entire life.

Thankfully, you were fine now and stabilizing albeit asleep. But your recovery room was still off limits, and Jihyun settled for waiting just outside. Right now, there was nothing for him to give you other than time, and he could tolerate the stinging in his chest if that’s what it took for you to heal. He sat there with his head cast down and his leg impatiently bouncing up and down. His fingers gripped at the fabric of his pants, and he was so lost in the depths of his thoughts that it took awhile to escape the daze and notice someone calling him…

“V?”

The linoleum floors squeaked underneath a pair of worn sneakers as they took steps towards him.

“It  _ is _ you. I thought I recognized you. What’re you…” the familiar voice dropped off mid-sentence as the young blond took notice of your name on the file by the room. “V, what happened?”

Jihyun inhaled, feeling the need to fill his lungs. “Yoosung. Are you doing your residency here? I see that you’ve been a diligent student. That’s good.”

“V… What… (Y/n)…”

He was silent for moments more, struggling himself to fully comprehend what had happened. “I was leaving the cafe after doing work… But if I had just remembered my umbrella, they wouldn’t have had to run after me. And the car wouldn’t have… If I only hadn’t forgotten it, then none of this would have happened.”

Yoosung shifted to plop down on the chair beside Jihyun. He squirmed a bit, muttering about how the waiting seats were always uncomfortable no matter what hospital he worked at. “V. You know that what happened wasn’t your fault. It just… turned out that way because that’s just how things went in that exact moment.”

“But how come things around me always have to… First it was with Rika,” Jihyun continued, becoming overcome with the despair of years past all at once. Yoosung flinched upon hearing the familiar name and clenched his hands into fists only momentarily. “And then MC ended up in danger because I couldn’t handle the association properly… Now (Y/n) is like this because I forgot one small thing. It’s so ridiculous. It’s laughable. I must be cursed, wouldn’t you agree?”

His face was still hidden under the bangs draping over his eyes, but the solemn smile on his lips was distinctly present.

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t at least a bit bitter about everything that happened regarding Rika, and MC too,” Yoosung admitted. “But I know… that you hadn’t meant to hurt anyone. V, the things you do are always in everyone’s best interests. I’m sure (Y/n) knows it too. It’s not like you knew they would run across the street like that. It’s not like either of you could predict the car coming in that exact moment.”

Jihyun remained silent, although he had stopped trembling and he was no longer gasping to fill his lungs.

“Yoosung… if being able to see again meant having to witness that, then I wish I had never gotten surgery.”

A chill ran down his spine at those words, but before he could retort, a nurse turned the corner and let out a small “Oh!”

“Yoosung, do you know Jihyun?”

“A… long-time acquaintance,” he simply responded, finding it too difficult to answer otherwise without getting too detailed. “I’m familiar with (Y/n) too.”

“Oh, I see. I’m here to check for vitals, but if you two would like, the patient is finally stable enough to take visitors so you two can come in to see them as well.”

Yoosung waved him off and stretched with a groan. “No need. I just came by because I was on break. I have to be getting back now,” he murmured with a glance at his phone. “V. Just remember… what happened is not a result of your own incompetence. It wasn’t your fault.” With that he took off down the corridor, blond hair bouncing atop his head and several other nurses scolding him not to run.

“Well then… please feel free to come in as well, if you feel okay with it,” the nurse smiled at Jihyun before stepping in. In a heartbeat, he followed behind and awkwardly shifted from foot to foot before the nurse let him know it was fine to take a seat anywhere. He walked around to the other end of the bed and settled on the short stool by the windowsill. As he sat there, the nurse moved around the room with practiced ease. Although it felt like only a few seconds in his head, it wasn’t long before the nurse spoke up.

“I’m all done here, but feel free to stay. Try not to stick around for too long though, especially since we have no definite signs of waking yet.” With a nod, the nurse left and the door clicked softly in his wake.

He wasn’t sure what there was for him to do. To be frank, he felt that it was kind of creepy to sit there and watch you sleep. He turned toward the window and opted to listen to your breathing. The rhythmic noise was reassuring to his ears. Sunlight bled in through the blinds. The heavy rain clouds from days past were gone. There was a rustling that his ears caught onto and he whipped around to see your eyes trained on his.

“Did I ever return your umbrella?”

Your voice was raspy and quiet, but hearing it was enough for him. He could only laugh at your words, and his voice cracked when he finally spoke.

“I’m sorry.”

You blinked a few times. The backlight from the window cast a shadow over his face and his bangs fell to hide his expression. You were positive that you could see him trembling on the stool. Beyond his apology, he said no more. Your face softened at the meaning behind his words.

“So, you didn’t get the umbrella back, huh?”

“(Y/n)—“

“Jihyun.” Your voice was soft as you shook your head. But that was all it took for him to stop. “You know, Yoosung told me about you before. He came by for a study break and I was curious so…” you trailed off before picking up your words again. “What happened then wasn’t your fault, Jihyun. And neither was it this time.”

You beckoned him closer, and the floor screeched as the stool scraped against it. He flinched when he saw you reach out for him, and immediately felt terrible when he saw the way you hesitated. But that didn’t stop you from extending your fingers and pushing the fallen strands aside, thumb lingering by his left eye in remembrance of his past.

“I want you to know this, Jihyun,” you said, hand dropping to pick up his. “It was never you.”

You fingertips mindlessly traced the lines along his palms. You laughed, fitting your fingers in between the spaces of his and squeezing his hand.

“I know this timing is awful, but I want you to know. It was never you. So don’t you stop coming to the cafe now. I’ll make you as much chai latte as you need. I’ll keep supporting you from the side as long as it takes for you to know. Jihyun, it was never you.”

He didn’t say anything, but he squeezed your hand back. A solemn smile just barely graced upon his lips, and that was all you needed to know.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> i hope it got across but this fic wasn't meant to be mushy and romantic ;;;;;  
> wanted to get more of a 'close friends who care for each other' feeling and romance is touched upon VERY SLIGHTLY at the very end ;;;;;;;;;;;


End file.
